The bathroom fixture popular in other countries is gaining fans here

Published: Saturday, November 24, 2007 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, November 23, 2007 at 3:28 p.m.

A Toto Washlet has options for hard or soft spray, choices for men or women, and a seat that warms in the winter.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CRAIG KOHLRUSS/THE FRESNO BEE

Bidets - basins that stand alongside toilets so people can cleanse themselves after doing their business - have long been common in Europe. Toilet seats with bidet functions are popular in Japan.
But in this country, to be delicate about it, the idea of rinsing with water before using toilet paper is, well, foreign. However, many people who have tried it say to just give it shot - it might change the way you think of bidets.
"It doesn't sound very appealing," says Kevin Pine, owner of Kitchen Bath Plus, a Fresno, Calif., store that has a bidet toilet seat in its restroom for employees and customers. "But I'll be the first to say, once you know what you're expecting, it'll become an everyday occurrence. It's become an everyday occurrence for me."
While bidets aren't anything new, interest in them and bidet toilet seats has been growing in recent years, agree Pine and Eric Bailey, who is in charge of the plumbing department at Central Distributing in Fresno.
Pine remembers hearing about bidet toilet seats in 2000 from a representative of plumbing products manufacturer Toto. The Japanese-based conglomerate makes toilets, bidets and bidet-function toilet seats, which it calls Washlets. "I thought for the longest time it was more freaky, but it is a neat deal," he says.
Since installing a Toto Washlet when the store moved to its current location about two years ago, he has sold about eight to 10 bidets and three dozen Washlets a year, he says.
As more people travel to European countries and Japan and try them there, they bring back that experience and want to use them at home, Pine and Bailey say.
Another reason is that bidets and bidet toilet seats are better at cleaning than just using toilet paper.
"Certainly, there are people who believe, 'Well, I've been using toilet paper for how long now, why should I change that?' " says Shane Allis, senior product manager for Kohler toilet seats in Kohler, Wis. "When you have children in diapers, it's not like we clean them with just dry paper. There are baby wipes that are wet."
Bidets and bidet toilet seats, he says, "provide better cleaning than dry paper.…They provide a much better cleaning solution."
The big hurdles, at least maybe for many Americans, are wrapping their minds around the concept of bidets and taking the initial steps of experiencing one.
"Personally, I think people think of them as being uncomfortable and not something normal to use," Bailey says.
Bidets can take some getting used to, says Honorina Emler, a saleswoman at Kitchen Bath Plus. "I've had a few customers from Europe who are aware of this feature," she says. "We're just now getting used to it here. For some, it's still a bit of an awkward conversation to have."
When it comes down to it, talking about a bidet and what you do with it can be a delicate affair. Installed near the toilet, the bidet looks like a hybrid between a toilet and a sink. It has a basin with sink fixtures to control the water but no toilet seat. There's a drain and a spray nozzle at the bottom of the basin. Some have the nozzles sticking out, kind of like a faucet, and are mounted on the deck with the water controls.
When you're done using the toilet, you straddle the bidet. Depending upon if you're a male or female and which body part you want to clean, you can face forward like on a toilet or sit backward facing the water controls. Turn it on, adjust the temperature and water pressure by using the hot and cold water controls.
Bidet toilet seats are more straightforward to use. You remain seated on the toilet after you've done your business. Push the buttons on the control panel to turn it on and change the temperature, water pressure or nozzle position. The control panel is often attached to the side of the seat or is on a wall remote.
With either style, when you're done with your cleansing, you can use toilet paper to pat yourself dry. Some bidet toilet seats also have air drying capability.
But trying a bidet or bidet toilet seat for the first time can be daunting. "It goes through everyone's mind - am I sitting on the right spot?" Emler says.
Other questions might roll through your mind, she says, such as: Am I doing it right? Will it feel comfortable?
"But I think once you try it the first time, especially in your own home, you will find it's really refreshing," she says.
When her colleague Patrick Serban, also a salesman at the store, gets questions about bidets and bidet toilet seats, he tells them about the Washlet in the restroom. "I usually tell them everyone here likes and uses it," he says. "Most people get initially concerned about multiple people using it, but the nozzle self-cleans, so it's very sanitary."
Bidets often are sold separately from the faucet fixtures. They can start at about $300, with fixtures starting at about $150. However, you will need to keep in mind that bidets will take up space in the bathroom and require plumbing lines. Thus, they may be more suitable if you're building a new home or remodeling a bathroom and can plan for the bidet, Pine says.
Bidet toilet seats require less work. They can be retrofitted onto most existing toilets, but they do require 110-volt outlet plugs nearby. Bidet toilet seats require electricity because of the features they provide. For example, the spray nozzles are motorized, extending out when needed and retracting after use. You also might be able to warm up the seat or the water, set the water to spray at different pressures or pre-set your preferred settings.
The cost of bidet toilet seats can start between $600 and $750, depending upon the model and brand.
Not having an outlet near the toilet kept Ray Weitzman of Fresno from buying his own bidet toilet seat. "The problem with American homes is you need an electrical outlet" near the toilet, says Weitzman, a 69-year-old retired linguistics professor. "So, if you want one, you have to get an electrician to add" the outlet.
Weitzman, who frequently travels to Japan, remembers coming across a bidet toilet seat there at a private home more than 10 years ago. "It was very pleasant," he says. "It was quite different than you were used to. We've kind of wanted to have one."
Weiztman and his wife, Hanako, got their chance when they bought their current home and the master bathroom included an outlet near the toilet. They bought a Toto Washlet at Kitchen Bath Plus for about $1,000. It was installed in June.
"Personally, I just enjoy using it more than the old- fashioned standard" toilet, he says.

Bidets - basins that stand alongside toilets so people can cleanse themselves after doing their business - have long been common in Europe. Toilet seats with bidet functions are popular in Japan.<BR>
But in this country, to be delicate about it, the idea of rinsing with water before using toilet paper is, well, foreign. However, many people who have tried it say to just give it shot - it might change the way you think of bidets.<BR>
"It doesn't sound very appealing," says Kevin Pine, owner of Kitchen Bath Plus, a Fresno, Calif., store that has a bidet toilet seat in its restroom for employees and customers. "But I'll be the first to say, once you know what you're expecting, it'll become an everyday occurrence. It's become an everyday occurrence for me."<BR>
While bidets aren't anything new, interest in them and bidet toilet seats has been growing in recent years, agree Pine and Eric Bailey, who is in charge of the plumbing department at Central Distributing in Fresno.<BR>
Pine remembers hearing about bidet toilet seats in 2000 from a representative of plumbing products manufacturer Toto. The Japanese-based conglomerate makes toilets, bidets and bidet-function toilet seats, which it calls Washlets. "I thought for the longest time it was more freaky, but it is a neat deal," he says.<BR>
Since installing a Toto Washlet when the store moved to its current location about two years ago, he has sold about eight to 10 bidets and three dozen Washlets a year, he says.<BR>
As more people travel to European countries and Japan and try them there, they bring back that experience and want to use them at home, Pine and Bailey say.<BR>
Another reason is that bidets and bidet toilet seats are better at cleaning than just using toilet paper.<BR>
"Certainly, there are people who believe, 'Well, I've been using toilet paper for how long now, why should I change that?' " says Shane Allis, senior product manager for Kohler toilet seats in Kohler, Wis. "When you have children in diapers, it's not like we clean them with just dry paper. There are baby wipes that are wet."<BR>
Bidets and bidet toilet seats, he says, "provide better cleaning than dry paper. They provide a much better cleaning solution."<BR>
The big hurdles, at least maybe for many Americans, are wrapping their minds around the concept of bidets and taking the initial steps of experiencing one.<BR>
"Personally, I think people think of them as being uncomfortable and not something normal to use," Bailey says.<BR>
Bidets can take some getting used to, says Honorina Emler, a saleswoman at Kitchen Bath Plus. "I've had a few customers from Europe who are aware of this feature," she says. "We're just now getting used to it here. For some, it's still a bit of an awkward conversation to have."<BR>
When it comes down to it, talking about a bidet and what you do with it can be a delicate affair. Installed near the toilet, the bidet looks like a hybrid between a toilet and a sink. It has a basin with sink fixtures to control the water but no toilet seat. There's a drain and a spray nozzle at the bottom of the basin. Some have the nozzles sticking out, kind of like a faucet, and are mounted on the deck with the water controls.<BR>
When you're done using the toilet, you straddle the bidet. Depending upon if you're a male or female and which body part you want to clean, you can face forward like on a toilet or sit backward facing the water controls. Turn it on, adjust the temperature and water pressure by using the hot and cold water controls.<BR>
Bidet toilet seats are more straightforward to use. You remain seated on the toilet after you've done your business. Push the buttons on the control panel to turn it on and change the temperature, water pressure or nozzle position. The control panel is often attached to the side of the seat or is on a wall remote.<BR>
With either style, when you're done with your cleansing, you can use toilet paper to pat yourself dry. Some bidet toilet seats also have air drying capability.<BR>
But trying a bidet or bidet toilet seat for the first time can be daunting. "It goes through everyone's mind - am I sitting on the right spot?" Emler says.<BR>
Other questions might roll through your mind, she says, such as: Am I doing it right? Will it feel comfortable?<BR>
"But I think once you try it the first time, especially in your own home, you will find it's really refreshing," she says.<BR>
When her colleague Patrick Serban, also a salesman at the store, gets questions about bidets and bidet toilet seats, he tells them about the Washlet in the restroom. "I usually tell them everyone here likes and uses it," he says. "Most people get initially concerned about multiple people using it, but the nozzle self-cleans, so it's very sanitary."<BR>
Bidets often are sold separately from the faucet fixtures. They can start at about $300, with fixtures starting at about $150. However, you will need to keep in mind that bidets will take up space in the bathroom and require plumbing lines. Thus, they may be more suitable if you're building a new home or remodeling a bathroom and can plan for the bidet, Pine says.<BR>
Bidet toilet seats require less work. They can be retrofitted onto most existing toilets, but they do require 110-volt outlet plugs nearby. Bidet toilet seats require electricity because of the features they provide. For example, the spray nozzles are motorized, extending out when needed and retracting after use. You also might be able to warm up the seat or the water, set the water to spray at different pressures or pre-set your preferred settings.<BR>
The cost of bidet toilet seats can start between $600 and $750, depending upon the model and brand.<BR>
Not having an outlet near the toilet kept Ray Weitzman of Fresno from buying his own bidet toilet seat. "The problem with American homes is you need an electrical outlet" near the toilet, says Weitzman, a 69-year-old retired linguistics professor. "So, if you want one, you have to get an electrician to add" the outlet.<BR>
Weitzman, who frequently travels to Japan, remembers coming across a bidet toilet seat there at a private home more than 10 years ago. "It was very pleasant," he says. "It was quite different than you were used to. We've kind of wanted to have one."<BR>
Weiztman and his wife, Hanako, got their chance when they bought their current home and the master bathroom included an outlet near the toilet. They bought a Toto Washlet at Kitchen Bath Plus for about $1,000. It was installed in June.<BR>
"Personally, I just enjoy using it more than the old- fashioned standard" toilet, he says.<BR>